Windows XP 100% CPU on startup
Hi,
I have a problem with Windows XP running on a laptop that has suddenly started occurring for no obvious reason (i.e. I've not installed or fiddled with anything recently). It was working fine one day and was shut down cleanly, and the next day it was started up and the following problem existed:
Windows starts up normally, but a little slower than normal. However the mouse pointer freezes and won't move at all. The keyboard still works (although the response is painfully slow) - I am able to use Ctrl+alt+delete to show the Task Manager. The CPU is constantly at or just below 100%, with the majority of the usage being taken up by System and System Idle Process.
I am able to boot up in Safe Mode, where the CPU is at 0% as expected and I can access everything that you would expect to be able to in Safe Mode.
I have tried the following with no success:
- Used MSCONFIG.EXE to specify a Diagnostic and Selective Startup.
- Used System Restore to restore to a previous checkpoint.
- Run a full scan with AVG but no problems were reported.
- Disabled all non-essential devices (Display adapters, Network Adapters, Sound, Video and Game Controllers etc.) in Device Manager.
- Rolled back the Display Adapter driver.
I'm at a bit of a loss now as to what to try next. It's an annoying problem because it takes so long each time to boot up normally, find out the problem hasn't gone away, and then boot up in Safe Mode to try something else!
My laptop (Acer Travelmate 4062) didn't come with a Windows XP disk, otherwise I'd try a Repair Installation.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Fortunately I have another laptop that I can use to search for help otherwise I really would be stuffed!
Thanks,
Vindaloo